SYK is a major regional player in all university cities outside the Greater Helsinki region. The starting point of our campus development is tto ensure that campuses are closely integrated into the surrounding urban structure. Campuses are part of a university city’s network of housing, business and information as well as the lifelong learning network. Campuses are home to the makers of the future, future consumers and future operating environments. Campuses support their local regions in international competition and promote regional vitality. We can say that this is a place for encounters where cross-pollination cannot be avoided – how is the whole campus linked to the surrounding urban structure?

Campus as part of the surrounding urban structure

The year 2019 was very much marked with the creation of local detailed plans in campus development, and the same theme will also continue in 2020. Our main objective regarding local detailed plans is to ensure that the diverse purpose of use of the campus area is maintained with all its services. In connection with the town planning work, we investigate the volume of future building rights in cooperation with universities  and with different functions in mind. These functions include the construction of research and teaching premises, housing, construction of commercial and office premises, as well as the construction of service networks, and, thus, we integrate the campus as part of the surrounding urban structure.

Following long-term efforts lasting six years, the comprehensive detailed local plan of the Kuopio campus was completed last year. The end result is a detailed local plan compliant with the idea of a multi-user campus, enabling the best aspects of housing, business and university operations. Development of the area in compliance with the detailed local plan will start during 2020.

Regarding housing, we have been deliberating over how the housing services should in the future be provided in campus areas – living there must allow both short, temporary living and long-term housing, even owner occupancy. Living on the campus throughout the year will provide the campus with a new perspective and structure.

Resource-efficient construction is one component of our responsibility

The future campuses will be multi-user environments where universities and business life are in close and strong interaction. For their part, modern campuses also support the development of a sharing, circular and experience economy.

We identify the development potential of existing building stock and optimise its use, while also reducing the carbon footprint generated in the construction of new buildings. We seek to solve the challenges of vacating premises by using resources wisely and by finding occupants for them sensibly in the long term.Our aim is the resource-efficient shared use of premises and their diverse utilisation. Besides cost efficiency, multi-user buildings also bring modern interaction to the operation of universities and business life. Multi-user buildings also allow services to be provided at the campus. The town planning work is a supporting activity in this concept of sustainable development.